3 Tips to Refresh Your Resume for 2021

Happy new year everyone! Are you looking for a new job or trying to get a big promotion in 2021?

The first step towards achieving all of your career goals is to update your resume. Having a cohesive and current resume is key when searching for a job. Most hiring managers look at any given resume for a total of 6 to 8 seconds. It is so important to have a current and updated resume if you are looking to impress and gain the attention of recruiters in the new year.

Read on to check out our top resume tips for 2021!

1. Don’t Be Afraid of Two Pages.

A popular opinion in the resume writing world last year was that resumes should be restricted to one page. While this may have been popular before 2020, last year truly transformed the resume writing landscape. Employers are now looking for candidates with a wide range of experiences, particularly if they are changing careers due to the impacts of COVID-19. The truth regarding resume length going into the new year is to not be afraid of having a two page resume. In fact, two pages may be key to getting you a new job.

“If candidates use a two page resume, recruiters are 2.9 times more likely to choose them for high level roles, and 1.4 times more likely to choose them for entry level jobs.”

-Zety (Resume Statistics 2021 Data Review)

As shown in the analytics review by Zety (a site that produces hundreds of thousands of resumes), two page resumes are extremely effective going into 2021. The data also helps to show that two pages may not be the best choice for entry level candidates, as many do not have enough experience to fill two pages. However, for candidates applying to high level roles, two pages is almost a necessity at this point. If you think about it, it makes a lot of sense for high level candidates to include as much work experience as possible. Why would you not showcase as many of your skills as you can?

Using a two page strategy also makes sense if you are currently transitioning careers due to the COVID-19 pandemic. If you do not have as much experience in a given field as other candidates may have, make sure to include as many other past roles as possible. The more experience you have, the more transferable skills you have as well. Use a second page for your resume to make sure that you can include as many of these skills as possible if you are changing careers!

2. Make Tons of Resumes.

Many job seekers take a while to form what they think is the perfect resume. Once their single resume is perfected, it is sent out to hundreds of employers. The truth is that this is not a successful job search strategy at all. The key to creating a resume is allowing it to be a living document. Constant updating and perfecting is what separates documents that get jobs from the ones that don’t.

Your resume should be custom tailored for every position that you apply to. Yes, it is extremely time consuming, but this is often the most important step when applying for jobs online. The reason why custom tailoring works is due to the fact that many employers use an ATS (or automated tracking system). These resume systems focus on the content of each resume that is submitted and will automatically block them if specific content is not found. Custom tailoring ensures that you get past an ATS by including words and phrases that are specifically wanted by the listing. Here’s some tips on this to help get you started!

How to custom tailor a resume

1. Prioritize Relevant Positions- Do some of your jobs fit more relevantly with the position you are applying for? Put those jobs first on your resume! Make sure the recruiter can instantly see the most relevant jobs.

2. Remove Irrelevant Positions- The same tip goes for positions that may not be relevant to certain positions. Be sure to remove them if you don’t need them. When it comes to positions, always change and edit your job history to best suit what you are applying for.

3. Swap Skills Around- When applying, pay attention to the skills section of the listing. Are some skills recommended but not required? Make sure to include these at the top of your skills section, as they will help set you apart.

4. Match Keywords in the Job Description- Much like swapping skills, match keywords in a listing by paying attention to small details. The more words that you add from the listing to your resume, the greater your chance of getting through the ATS software.

3. Focus on Numbers and Value.

Now that you have a resume filled with awesome keywords that will get to a recruiter, how do you get them to choose you over hundreds of others?

The answer is Value.

Value on a resume comes in many different forms. However, value is quantifiable and directly related to you. The key to providing this value is showing something on your resume that will directly translate to the specific listing that you are applying for. This will vary depending on the industry that you specialize in, but many carry over to each other as well. Here are some examples of value that you can use on your resume.

Quantifiable Value to Include on Your Resume

• Sales Numbers (Sales)– How much money did you sell when working for a company? This establishes direct value right away for any recruiter.

• ROI, Engagement, and Impression Data (Marketing)– What did your marketing initiatives accomplish? How did they impact total ROI for the business you worked for?

• Traffic Management (Customer Service/Retail)– How many customers did you help in a given day? How busy was the office that you worked at? This data shows recruiters how you can provide expert value when under stress.

• Project Management Information (Engineering/Software)- Did you help create a project/initiative that lead to the creation of a product? Talk about this in your resume and take it one step further by explaining the value that it brought to the company.

If you ever struggle with value when applying to jobs, ask yourself this simple question.

Does my resume directly provide quantitative data that shows why I am the best fit for this position?

Are you updating your resume for the new year?

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